Unsteady
by suicidalunicorn97
Summary: After a fake psychic brings up a traumatic event from Parker's past, she's upset. Eliot comforts her. Leverage one-shot, no character pairing.
**Hello, Lovelies. I was watching Leverage, and came across the episode where that fake psychic made Parker cry. This one-shot is based off that episode/scene.**

* * *

 _Hold, hold on, hold onto me._

 _Cause I'm a little unsteady,_

 _A little unsteady._

 _If you love me, don't let go,_

 _Woah, if you love me, don't let go._

* * *

"...It's definitely family. A sibling. A brother."

Parker's eyes widened. This guy was supposed to be a fake.

"You were both very young. It was an accident."

She wanted to tell him to shut up, but she was frozen. She felt tears forming in her eyes as she remembered that night.

"I see a road...I see a car. But your brother's not in the car. He's in the street. I see a bicycle. Was he riding a bicycle when he was struck?"

Parker couldn't breathe. How could he have known? She never told anyone...

"He's been gone a long time from you now. He's sorry he had to leave you. He knows that you feel responsible. But he wants you to know that it was an accident."

 _SHUT UP!_ She wanted to scream. How dare he presume to know what Nick felt. Or if he was even out there. Parker didn't know what happened when you died, but she hoped there was nothing. Just darkness. Quiet. Otherwise she knew she would probably end up in hell. And never see her brother again anyway.

"You taught him to ride that bike, didn't you?"

She couldn't take it anymore. She had. She had taught Nick to ride that bike. It was all her fault. Unable to hold back her tears any longer, she sprang from her seat and flew off the set, away from the sympathetic eyes of the audience. She could feel their stares, almost as if they were drilling holes in her back.

Parker ran. She ran out of the studio, down the street...The pounding of her footsteps matched her hammering heart. She didn't stop until she reached Nate's apartment. She shut the door behind her and sank to the floor next to the couch, sobbing. She had worked so hard to put that awful memory behind her, and that bastard had to dredge it up. And in front of a live audience no less! In front of her team...

She heard the door start to open, and immediately stopped crying. She couldn't show any more weakness than had already been revealed. The loud sobs turned to sniffles, and she stared blankly ahead, trying to force the unwanted emotions down.

"Parker," She heard Nate's voice, full of concern. He sat down beside her. The rest of the team gathered round. She could feel their discomfort and worry.

"There's no way he could have known that stuff. I've never told anyone. No one. Ever." Parker said softly, breathing unevenly.

She barely listened as Nate showed her footage from the "psychic's" reading of her. He explained how her body language had guided him to keep guessing, to get things right. Things he never should have been able to guess.

Even if he wasn't a real psychic, the damage had been done. She'd been humiliated in front of her friends, and she missed Nick more than ever. The guilt weighed heavily on her mind, and she just wanted to run. She didn't know where. Just run.

"I want to kill him. I want him dead. Can we make that happen?" Parker was angry. She was hurt. She wanted to lash out.

"Yeah. I can. I mean...I could." Elliot answered immediately, but trailed off when Nate gave him "the look".

"Or we could give him exactly what he wants. Make everyone think he's the best damn psychic in the state, and then, in front of the network and his audience...we destroy him."

Parker gave a small smile. She would rather just cut off his arms and watch him slowly bleed to death, but humiliation seemed like a good way to go as well.

* * *

"Hey,"

Parker was standing by the window, looking down at the traffic below. All the cars...a car was the last thing Nick saw before he died. She choked back another sob, and turned to face Elliot.

"What."

"Easy there, I just wanted to see if you were okay." He was looking at her like she was a hurt animal. She hated that.

"I'm fine." She tried to say, but all that came out was a muffled squeak. She hid her face, not wanting him to see her tears.

"Dumb question, sorry. You're not okay." The gentle hitter surprised her by pulling her in for a hug. She stiffened at the unfamiliar touch at first, but quickly melted into his embrace. His strong arms wrapped around her and made her feel safe. "Shhh, just breathe. We're gonna wreck this guy. I promise you."

Parker smiled, thankful for her friends.

No, they were more than friends. They were her family.


End file.
